DSi Will Reach Europe, Australia Before North America, But at What Cost?

Just as we’ve learned that the Nintendo DSi will reach American shores on April 5th, Pocket Gamer has learned that Europe will be getting the handheld device before the Yanks and Canucks… but at no small price.

April 3rd is the Old World date for the DSi’s release, with Australia getting it even a day before that. And as for the price? It appears that Â£149.99 is the price to pay there, versus the $169.99 I may be dropping when the time comes. While it initially sounds like a better deal on the surface, they note that the current exchange rate puts this at “a whopping 30 quid more” than the American price, and “around 15 extra wing wangs” versus the Australian price. Ouch.

Now comes the good/bad news, as I know about half of you aren’t terribly pleased with the blue-tinted option the American DSi comes in. In Europe, it seems the launch colors will be black… and white. Funny how that works out. But before any American readers start looking for a place to import, remember that the DSi deviates from its predecessors in that it is not region-free.

Nintendo is promising a healthy supply on the launch date, which was set to capitalize on Easter shopping sprees:

We wanted to get it out in time for Easter â€“ with its new features, the DSi is a significant step-change, more significant than the step from original DS to DS Lite. — Nintendo UK General Manager David Yarnton, to MCV

So all around, I’d definitely say there’s a little good news and a little bad, depending on who you are and how you look at it.

Founded in 1994, GameZone has been working to bring gamers everything there is to know about the games industry, from reviews on the latest game releases to breaking news and rumors. In addition to gaming, we bring relevant culture and entertainment news.